Ethics and the War on Terrorism Free Essay Example, 2000 words

The controversy stoked with the suggestion by various opinion leaders in the country that ‘torture warrants’ are appropriate for application in the cases of war against terror. This provoked torrents of criticism, with the subject becoming practical rather than theoretical as was in the previous discussions. The administration denies the authorization of various techniques of torture categorically. The international and American law forbids various techniques from application in gathering information from suspected terrorists. Such techniques include waterboarding, hypothermia and deprivation of sleep to force confessions from suspects. The international conventions against torture in their laws forbid any form of torture and inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment against people. The International Convention against Torture (CAT) dictates that her signatories, including the United States should undertake prevention of inhuman treatment and torture, without provid ing any exceptional circumstances. However, despite these regulatory measures under the international conventions, the subject remains lively in various jurisdictions (McCoy, 2012). The subject of terrorism continues to inflict fear, pain and loss of lives in humanity, a factor that necessitates governments to incorporate all necessary measures to guard against terror. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics and the War on Terrorism or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Thus, the debate on the ethical issue in a justifying use of torture in the war against terrorism continues. Both proponents and opponents of use of torture hold varied views on the issue. Arguments justifying torture in the war against terrorism The proponents of the use of torture in the war against terrorism to interrogate the terror suspects pose various supporting views that originate from philosophical, psychological, and ethical perspectives. To begin with, there is the normative reason to justify the use of torture interrogative techniques, which argues that in most scenarios, especially where the case is urgent, normal interrogative measures don not yield results. The terror cells often consist of extreme ideological roots, a factor that means it is nearly impossible for the suspect to betray their side. Thus, torture is the only effective means of breaching the determination of the suspect and yields the necessary information (Nincic & Ramos, 2012). The normal interrogation techniques do not succeed in yielding results. Another argument that proponents of torture in justifying its application pose is that it saves time and saves lives.